Student Supports & Assessments

Erin Wollard, Academic Supports Coordinator

erin.wollard@jeffco.k12.co.us

Welcome to the 2023 - 24 School Year!  

My name is Erin Wollard and I am MPA's assessment coordinator, READ Act coordinator, ALP coordinator, part of our intervention team, and our MTSS and student supports coordinator (I have a large hat rack!). I completed my Montessori Lower Elementary training in 2013 at Montessori Education Center of the Rockies (MECR) and worked in a Lower Elementary classroom for nine years. I hold a Colorado teaching license, and a Masters Degree in leadership and policy from UNCO. I look forward to supporting MPA's students and staff this year.  

If you have questions about assessments or student supports, please feel free to email me at erin.wollard@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Jeffco & CDE Reading Resources

Information on the CDE and Jeffco websites can be a bit hard to find so please use the links below to learn more about all things reading in the district and state.

CDE Colorado READ Act Overview

CDE Colorado Read Act for Parents website

READ Act FAQ

READ Act parent sheet (Spanish)

READ NOW Colorado: A parent-friendly website to help families better understand what the READ Act is and tips for supporting your child's learning.

Tips for Cultivating Readers at Home (English) (Español)

National Institute for Literacy: Age-focused literacy ideas for home


Helpful Vocabulary

Intervention: extra supports a child receives in addition to their classroom learning to support their academic or other needs.

Progress Monitoring: collecting data on an intervention to see if it is helping the child.  For example, a child who is struggling with learned/sight words, will receive extra support in school and at home.  The teacher will regularly check the student's growth and record that data.

Individual Education Plan (IEP): a plan developed by the special education team, the child's teacher, and the parents/guardians to provide Tier III interventions and possible accommodations for a qualifying student. 

504 Plan: a 504 plan is a formal plan that schools and families develop together to give students with disabilities the support they need to have the same access to learning as their peers.  A 504 Plan covers any condition that limits daily activities in a major way. A 504 Plan is different from an IEP in that they are covered by different laws and a 504 provides accommodations such as extended time for tests or preferential seating in the classroom.  An IEP provides special education and related services as well as accommodations where appropriate.

What is MTSS?

MTSS is short for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.  MTSS is a systemic, continuous improvement framework that uses whole-child data to support every child academically and social-emotionally.  You may have heard of RTI (academics) and PBIS (behavioral).  MTSS is the umbrella under which both now sit.  In short, MTSS is a prevention oriented process that supports the student, teacher, and family to ensure that every student receives what they need to be successful.  

The MTSS team is made up of the Coordinator, a member of the special education team, a teacher from each level, and our Montessori coach.  The principal and other specialists may be involved in the team as well, based on each child's needs.

The Process:

When a student is struggling in the general education classroom, their teacher will start providing interventions (extra help) to support the child's success.  The teacher provides those interventions with fidelity and keeps careful records or the child's progress.

If the interventions are working, the teacher will keep them up until the student is where they need to be for success.  

If the interventions are not working, the teacher may schedule a meeting with the child's guardians/parents, and seek the support of their teammates using the KidTalk process.  In KidTalk, the teacher will receive support from their peers, plan their next interventions, define progress monitoring tools, and determine what will show that the interventions are working.  If the new interventions are working, they continue.  

If the new interventions are not successful, the teacher will meet with MPA's MTSS coordinator and go through the data, the teacher's observations and notes, and prepare for the MTSS team to discuss the student and to best meet their needs.